Sunday, February 28, 2010

Seriously fun band. Catchy, simplistic, twangin', wailin, fiddlin', duo from Chattanooga. I suggest the song "Backward Knees," though it's kind of a hundred times better at a show where you've got a bunch of teenagers doh-see-dohin', foot-stompin', and yeehawin' all over the place. Here's a video I found on their YouTube channel of a show they played at a church in Santa Cruz two weeks ago.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Did you know that when Port Townsend was founded by George Vancouver in 1792, it was originally called "Port Townshend?" And when it was officially settled in 1851, it was nicknamed the "City of Dreams", because of the early speculation that it would become the largest city on the west coast? The people of Port Townsend's dreams were dashed however, when Tacoma became the western terminus of the North Pacific Railroad in the 1870s. Population declined, and PT was left at the kid's table, with less economic resources and growth than the expanding cities on the south and east Puget Sound.

The Boiler Room is run by a bunch of youth volunteers who live in Port Townsend. It's super organized, full of art supplies and resources for young artists, and it has a really nice bathroom. You can tell right when you walk in that this place is for serious, because there's always a bunch of kids here. They hang out, practice piano, arrange huge collages on the wall, and/or hang snowflakes from the ceiling.

It's kids DOing stuff! So come to Port Townsend and discover The Boiler Room. And don't go to the stinky part of town.

Also...

If you're reading this before February 28th, don't forget to vote for All-Ages Movement Project to receive a $50,000 grant!!

All-Ages Movement Project, or AMP (catchy, right?), provides valuable learning material and networking opportunities for venues and organizers across the country. It's so marvelous and inspiring, I can scarcely do it justice in my own words. So here's what you can do: